Furcraea
Furcraea foetida in bloom
Furcraea is a plant genus in the subfamily of Agave ( Agavaceae ). The botanical name honors the French chemist and politician Antoine François de Fourcroy.
Description
The species of the genus Furcraea are hapaxanthe plants, which means they bloom and bear fruit only once and then die off. Strains are not usually present or they are thick and up to 6 meters high. The densely packed, large, lanceolate, long and narrow leaves are either thin and flexible or quite thick and stiff. You have a short fixed tip. Your leaf margin is entire, denticulate or coarsely toothed.
The loose inflorescence with terminal panicles is up to 13 meters high. The partial inflorescences are on the long side branches and often bear bulbils. The drooping, stalked flowers grow singly or in clusters 2-5 flowers. The more or less identically shaped, white or greenish- white tepals are ovate -oblong and almost to the base -free. The stamens are shorter than the tepals. The elongated ovary is inferior and has a beaked tip.
Are formed dreiklappige capsule fruits that contain flattened black seeds.
Systematics and distribution
The distribution of the genus Furcraea ranges from mid to southern Mexico throughout Central America and the Caribbean to Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay.
The first description was by Étienne Pierre Ventenat was published in 1793. The genus Furcraea include the following types:
- Section Furcraea Furcraea acaulis ( Kunth ) B.Ullrich
- Furcraea andina Trel.
- Furcraea Antillana A.Álvarez
- Furcraea boliviensis Ravenna
- Furcraea cabuya Trel. Furcraea cabuya var cabuya
- Furcraea cabuya var integra Trel.
- Section Serrulatae J.R.Drumm. Furcraea bedinghausii K.Koch
- Furcraea longaeva Karw. & Zucc.
- Furcraea niquivilensis Matuda ex García- Mend.